Jessica Porter (Guided Meditation Voice) (4:07)

that stress to a smoother, softer place in ourselves.

Jessica Porter (4:13)

A place we should all get to more often, regardless of our diagnoses. So no matter where you are vis a vis your mental health, tonight let's all go into this lovely place, this gentle, soft valley within ourselves where we accept ourselves unconditionally, our strengths, our challenges,

Jessica Porter (Guided Meditation Voice) (4:45)

our humanity

Jessica Porter (4:49)

before we begin our only AD break which makes this magic possible to listen ad free. Follow the link in the show notes. You know, we talk a lot on the show about unwinding at the end of the day and finding small ways to make that easier. And I really didn't expect my sheets to be one of those things, but recently they have been. You know, it's a simple change, but it's made that moment when I get into bed feel noticeably more relaxing because I ordered the bamboo sheet set from Quince and they've been such a great addition to my bedroom. They're soft, breathable and cool when you first get in. Quince bedding is designed to feel light and airy all night, whether it's bamboo, linen or organic cotton. And their linen actually gets softer with every wash, which I love. Everything feels thoughtfully made but still simple and much more accessible than you'd expect because they work directly with their manufacturers. It's one of those small changes that doesn't replace the rest of your wind down routine, but it really does make that moment of lying down feel more luxurious. Refresh your everyday with luxury you'll actually use. Head to Quince.com SleepMagic for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com SleepMagic for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quints.com SleepMagic this episode is brought to

Prime Obsession Advertiser (6:21)

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Katie Ring (7:17)

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Ollie Sleep Solutions Advertiser (8:18)

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Jessica Porter (Guided Meditation Voice) (8:43)

now

Jessica Porter (8:43)

get yourself into a safe and comfortable position.

Jessica Porter (Guided Meditation Voice) (8:46)

And let's allow your eyes to close easily and gently. As you bring your awareness to your breath. You don't have to do anything interesting with your breath. This is about your awareness. Settling, focusing. Now, what you need to know about the awareness is that it doesn't settle for long. No one's awareness settles for long, not even the greatest meditators ever flat line in their awareness. It moves, but we're simply inviting it just for a moment, back to the breath. Inviting it just for a moment, back to the body. Good. Now bring your awareness up into your eyelids.

Jessica Porter (10:25)

I'd like you to imagine that your

Jessica Porter (Guided Meditation Voice) (10:26)

eyelids are feeling sleepy, heavy and relaxed. Tired. So you allow your eyelids to feel heavy. Just imagine that they feel heavy. And now they do. And now I'd like you to imagine that your eyelids are so heavy that they can't open. And I know that's absurd, of course your eyes can open, but we're imagining that they can't. And just play pretend with me here

Jessica Porter (11:10)

as you imagine that your eyes are

Jessica Porter (Guided Meditation Voice) (11:12)

so relaxed they cannot open, I want you to Test them by wiggling your eyebrows while your eyes remain closed. And you're faking yourself out here. That's fine. That's what we want. Eyes remain closed. Wiggle your eyebrows like you're trying to open them, but they're not opening. Good. Now we've engaged your imagination. That's where we want to be. So now, this heavy feeling around your eyelids, let's imagine that it's moving back into your brain. Imagine a warm mist of relaxation. A lovely, delicious, heavy feeling of relaxation is spilling back into your brain. And now that it's taking over your whole head, your head is feeling heavy on the pillow. Heavy like a bowling ball. Just let it be heavy. As the muscles of your face are feeling soft and relaxed and heavy. As you imagine warm waves of relaxation lapping up against the beach of your mind. Just allow those warm waves of relaxation to lap up against the beach of your mind as all mental tension disappears. Good. As that relaxing feeling is moving down now into your neck, softening the muscles of your neck, moving down into your shoulders. And your shoulders are becoming soft and heavy, letting go. I don't know what your shoulders carry on them every day, but I'm sure they carry a lot. Pressures, plans, responsibilities. So as your shoulders are softening and you are going deeper and deeper, everything you've been carrying on your shoulders has fallen to the floor. And you will pick it up tomorrow morning if you want to. For right now, you're free. As the relaxation is moving down into your arms. Feel it moving like a wave down through your upper arms, through your elbows, waving down through your forearms and down into your hands. Relaxation moving all the way down into every single finger as you go deeper and deeper. And it feels so easy, so comfortable. Good. And as your body relaxing, your mind is relaxing. And as your mind is relaxing, your body is going deeper and even deeper. As that warm relaxation moves down now into your chest, softening and opening and releasing your chest cavity, your ribcage, The muscles of your back softening and letting go. And any tension you may hold in your chest is dissolving. As the relaxation moves down even deeper now down into your belly, the muscles of your belly letting go, your lower back softening, your buttocks relaxing. As your pelvis feels nice and heavy on the bed. As you are going deeper and deeper, and all of the sounds going on around you are taking you deeper and deeper. As the relaxation moves down into your legs, moving all the way down through your thighs, through your calves, into your feet. Your legs are feeling very, very heavy, heavy and relaxed the day is as your whole body. Is drifting deeper and deeper. And the sound of my voice is also taking you deeper and deeper. Imagine you are standing inside a lovely cabin nestled in a wide green valley. Its walls are made of old pine, the wood worn smooth by time and the elements. In the corner, a soft amber lamp glows, and it's casting a golden pool of light across the room. This cabin feels warm. There's a big comfortable bed and a woven rug beneath your feet. Everything here feels simple, solid, safe. You feel safe. Through the cabin's large window. You see the valley opening up wide before you. Its dark green slopes curve gently down toward a river that winds its way along the the valley floor like a silver ribbon. This river is always moving, always finding its way, just as life is always moving, finding its way through you.

Jessica Porter (22:06)

You notice there are other little cabins

Jessica Porter (Guided Meditation Voice) (22:11)

scattered along the riverbank, their warm lights glowing in their windows. You are connected. You are connected to these other people in their cabins along the river. And they are also sitting with their own thoughts, their own feelings, their own lives, Every one held by the same valley. It feels good to be here. You step outside onto the wooden deck and the evening air feels cool against your skin. You notice a rocking chair waiting for you, and you settle into it. There's a folded wool blanket on the deck. You pick it up and place it across your lap. You begin a soft rocking motion, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth as you go, deeper and deeper. As the river continues, you hear the sound of the water moving over stones, Creating a hush. Life moving through you. Life moving through everything. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. You look up. Clouds are drifting slowly across a vast blue sky. Some are light and feathery. Some are darker and look heavy. Some clouds are dissolving as they move, while others are gathering as they move. You are here tonight to simply watch them, to notice them. To remember that clouds are simply clouds. Passing, shifting, never remaining for long. Thoughts are like clouds. Feelings are like clouds, moods like clouds, moving through all of us, gathering and releasing. And through it all, the sky remains wide, blue, eternal. Just as there is a deeper part of you right now, observing. No matter how I feel, I am gentle with myself. No matter what is happening around me, I am gentle with myself. No matter what I'm thinking, I am gentle with myself. No matter what I'm feeling, I'm gentle with myself. No matter what's happening around me, I am gentle with myself. No matter what I'm thinking, I am gentle with myself. As you continue to rock in the rocking chair, gently back, forth, back and forth, Back and forth. The river is flowing, the valley remaining, And you are simply being. The light in the valley is beginning to change. The blue sky is morphing into lavender and rose as the sun is lowering. The clouds are turning gold and pink. The entire valley is glowing. The river is reflecting, the sun, glinting with red and orange. And as the world is becoming softer, your mind is becoming softer, Your thoughts as soft as clouds, Floating, Gathering, dissolving. No matter what passes through me, I am gentle with myself. No matter what passes through me, I am gentle with myself. No matter what passes through me, I am gentle with myself. The sun is slipping below the horizon now and the air is becoming cooler. The clouds are evaporating. And the valley is becoming dark, shifting into shadows. You notice lights appearing in the other cabins like warm sparkles in the dusk. You are all connected, Other humans experiencing their thoughts, their feelings, Their humanity. It feels so good to be connected. You look up again. The stars are emerging one by one. The same sky that held the clouds just a moment ago is now clear, And you look into its infinite depth. As your inner being expands. And expand. As your body goes deeper and deeper into relaxation, your inner being is expanding. Into the infinite sky. And it feels so good. You are expansive like the sky. And ancient like the valley, Flowing like the river. You rise slowly from your rocking chair and step back into your warm cabin. The amber light inside is still glowing softly, And across the room is a bed dressed in crisp white linens and a thick quilt, soft and welcoming. You walk to the bed, pull back the covers, the slide into its delicious warmth. As the mattress receives your body completely and your head sinks into the pill. And the quilt settles over you with just the right weight so you feel safe and contained. As you close your eyes, As you go deeper. And even deeper. Sa. No matter how I feel, I am gentle with myself. No matter what I'm thinking, I am gentle with myself. No matter what's happening around me, I am gentle with myself. Sa. As you go deeper. And even deeper, Relaxing into this gentle valley within yourself. As you drift it. And float. Sam.